Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Will Have Cost and Performance Advantages

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Hyundai Sonata Hybrid - attribution auxo.co.kr

Hyundai Motor Co. listed the advantages that the 2011 Sonata Hybrid, its first US hybrid, has over its rivals from Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. Hyundai would like to emphasize the edge of its model when it comes to cost and performance.

Scheduled to be available this year, the 2011 Sonata Hybrid utilizes a system that’s lighter than those in hybrid versions of Toyota’s Camry or Ford’s Fusion. At the New York Auto Show, John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai’s U.S. unit, said that the new Sonata is capable of better acceleration.

Lee Ki Sang, a senior vice president of Seoul-based Hyundai and head of its hybrid program, disclosed that the lithium-polymer battery is about 20% lighter. Lee also shares that overall, this model has much lower cost throughout the system.

What Hyundai would like to promote is that it has the highest average miles per gallon under U.S. rules. Hyundai wants to appeal to buyers who are concerned that gasoline prices would go back to the levels that they were in 2008.

With that in mind, Hyundai made sure that its vehicles are very fuel-efficient and that these cars have improved fuel engines.

The US government has long been urging carmakers to improve corporate average fuel economy to 35 mpg. Krafcik claims that the Sonata Hybrid will average 38 mpg in combined city and highway driving. Hyundai has yet to announce pricing or a sales target for the new model.

New York 2010: Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid

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Porsche showcased at the New York Auto Show, the next generation Cayenne sport utility vehicle. With this occasion, the company is also presenting its new high-tech gas-electric hybrid model, a version which will register higher performance using less fuel and improving emissions.

The new North American Cayenne range offers 4 models- the 2011 Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo and the Cayenne S Hybrid. The S and Turbo models go on sale in July, with the 2011 Cayenne and Cayenne S Hybrid hitting the market by this fall. The new advanced S Hybrid is powered by a combination of parallel systems, a supercharged V6 combustion engine and an electric motor, accumulating a power output of 380 hp. Continued after the jump!

Using this combination, the S Hybrid will always perform in achieving maximum efficiency. The car shows lots of flexibility as the driver can choose to drive either with one of the units either with both of them, as they are connected by a decoupling clutch.

The new hybrid can be driven on short distance only on electric power, meaning 0 emissions and noise up to 60km/h.

This version of Porsche’s popular mid-engine sports car is the lightest Porsche available is on sale now with an MSRP of $61,200, weighing only 2,811 lbs.

 

 

U.S. Government to Purchase First 100 Chevy Volts and Thousands of Hybrids

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In an effort to make the government’s fleet of vehicles more green, the Obama administration has reportedly announced plans to add more hybrids this year followed by plug-in hybrids next year. The plan should double the number of hybrids in the government’s fleet, a step towards achieving its goal of reducing fleet petroleum use by 30 percent by 2020.

The new plan involves purchasing 100 plug-in vehicles by the end of next year, and the front-runner is the Chevrolet Volt. According to Ward’s Auto, the White House has announced that the government will purchase the first 100 Chevy Volts to roll off the assembly line later this year. The government is also considering adding the plug-in hybrid electric Dodge Ram to its fleet, though how many units it’s considering has not been released.

Whether or not the Volt and PHEV Ram are being considered because the government just happens to be part owner of their parent companies remains to be seen, but we haven’t heard mention of the excellent Ford Fusion Hybrid.

GM has responded to the suggestion that the first 100 Volts will go to U.S. government fleets by stating,

We are pleased to see that the Federal government is interested in the greening of their vehicle fleet. Media speculation has led to reports that the GSA and DOE will be buying the first 100 Chevrolet Volt’s because we will meet this criteria. At this time we have no further details regarding these purchases.

[Via: Ward's Auto]

New York 2010: Second Generation VW Touareg Hybrid Makes U.S. Debut

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Volkswagen has just unveiled its 2011 Touareg for the first time in the States, giving us Americans a chance to see the slimmed down SUV and its hybrid sibling that we first saw at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. This second generation Touareg will still have a diesel option, but for those who like to feel even better about themselves while they gently crush wildflowers in the Arctic National Preserve, there’s also a hybrid model offered for the first time in a VW SUV.

The hybrid model gets a 3.0-liter, supercharged, direct injection V6 gasoline engine paired with an electric motor and eight-speed automatic transmission that help it to a mileage rating of 21 miles per gallon city and 25 highway. That V6-plus-electric-motor combo also combines for 375 horsepower and 428 lbs.-ft. of torque, allowing a healthy towing capacity of up to 7,700 pounds. There’s a full rundown of the details in the press release you’ll find after the jump, and a gallery of live images from the show floor here at the 2010 New York Auto Show below.

 

PRESS RELEASE

Volkswagen Showcases Second Generation Touareg Featuring Hybrid Powertrain at the 2010 New York International Auto Show

HERNDON, Va., March 31 /PRNewswire/ — Volkswagen of America, Inc. today unveiled the second generation Touareg, showcasing the brand’s first-ever hybrid at the 2010 New York International Auto Show.

Please Click Here For Images of the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Models

Taking the Touareg to the forefront of its class are three available engines to suit a variety of different drivers: A V6 FSI® gasoline engine, a V6 TDI® Clean Diesel engine, and a V6 TSI® gasoline hybrid engine.

With the hybrid model, a 3.0-liter supercharged, direct injection V6 gasoline engine is paired with a special electric motor that reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by about 40 percent.

An eight-speed automatic transmission – the first of its kind in an SUV – keeps power always available while helping the Touareg Hybrid achieve approximately 25 and 21 mpg during highway and city driving respectively. A special clutch can disengage the transmission from the engine when the engine is not powering the Touareg, allowing it to coast forward emission free to further aid in fuel savings. The electric motor can also recover kinetic energy during braking to help recharge the nickel metal-hydride battery pack. With the V6 engine and electric motor combined, a total of 375 horsepower and 428 lbs.-ft. of torque are available, allowing for full towing capacity of up to 7,700 pounds.

Also available is Volkswagen’s 3.0-liter, V6 TDI® Clean Diesel engine, which offers improved fuel economy, reduced emissions, and greater power versus a similarly-sized gasoline engine, and is an excellent complement to the new Touareg’s athletic design. A 3.6-liter, V6 FSI® gasoline engine comes standard with the 2011 model, providing smooth acceleration and all around performance. On all Touareg models, Volkswagen’s 4MOTION® all-wheel drive system is ready to tackle nearly any driving condition encountered on and off the road.

Matching the new Touareg’s refinements under the hood is a fully-revised exterior that embraces the brand’s new face and styling cues, created by Volkswagen’s chief of design, Walter de’Silva.

At the front is a narrower grille opening that seamlessly connects to the trapezoidal headlight housings that carry U-shaped LED running lights and Bi-Xenon High Intensity Gas-Discharged headlamps. The housings flow into the new fender flares, and a pair of compact fog lamps at the lower portion of the front fascia stand underneath the Touareg’s front air intakes.

The hood features a raised portion that runs from the grille back, finishing at the side mirrors and giving a more muscular overall appearance. A chrome accent strip carries from behind the front wheels, and runs along the bottom of the doors to complement the chrome touches bordering the windows.

The back of the Touareg is defined with pronounced curves around the hatch area, LED illuminated taillights with housings to match up front, and a blacked out lower bumper with a set of shaped, chrome exhaust tips.

Compared to its predecessor, the 2011 Touareg is wider and has a shorter overall height for a stronger presence. A longer wheelbase and greater length provide greater stability, and more room inside the cabin, while the use of new materials and other adjustments have removed nearly 450 pounds from the vehicle.

The Touareg’s interior has also been refined, making for a better use of space for both the driver and passengers, as well as in the cargo area. The greater use of curves and further attention to details on the door and dash trim coincide with redesigned, full leather seating for five, and cross-stitching on all panels and surfaces. Both the front and rear passengers can enjoy greater legroom with the Touareg’s new overall dimensions and fully adjustable seats, while the rear seatback can be folded at the touch of a button in the trunk, for more storage and convenience.

A seven-inch widescreen color display located between the main gauges in the dash provides the driver with the latest vehicle status information, including of the drive system in the hybrid model, turn-by-turn navigation directions, and more.

Volkswagen’s new RNS850 touch screen entertainment and navigation system features an 8-inch screen, a 60GB hard drive with 18GB of space available to upload audio, video, and more, and a DVD/CD player with MP3 playback and Satellite/FM/AM stereo. The navigation system can display maps and directions in a 3-D view, and highlights major landmark highlights to further assist when traveling.

New York Auto Show: Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

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After releasing the first teaser on Friday, Hyundai revealed today the all-new 2011 Sonata Hybrid at the New York Auto Show.

The new car carries the Hyundai-developed Hybrid Blue Drive architecture which is a full parallel hybrid drive system. With this system the car can operate on an electric motors, gasoline internal combustion engine or , as you imagined, using a combination of those two. The new system uses lithium polymer battery technology – leapfrogging competitive in-market nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion applications. Continued after the jump!

Under the hood we find a fuel-efficient 2.4-liter Theta II engine capable to deliver 169 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 156 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. This engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and a 30kW (151 lb-ft) electric motor for maximum fuel economy.

This means we have a total output of 209 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, exceeding all mid-size competitors, and 195 lb-ft of torque. Sonata Hybrid’s projected best-in-class highway fuel economy of 39 mpg offers significant benefit to hybrid owners with highway commutes, while also offering outstanding city fuel economy of 37 mpg (for those who don’t know, the recently unveiled 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid delivers an impressive 41mph – take that Hyundai!).

“Hyundai applies advanced technologies to vehicles to provide the best solutions for the everyday driver,” said Krafcik. “Unlike traditional hybrids that trade off highway fuel economy for higher city ratings, the Sonata Hybrid delivers best-in-class highway fuel economy, while still delivering about a 40 percent improvement in city fuel economy compared to a Sonata equipped with the Theta II GDI engine. We think this is a better balanced approach for the majority of car buyers.”

 

[Via: 4WheelsNews]